Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWI vs ACWX: how they differ
ACWI and ACWX hold 36% of their weight in the same names, and ACWX returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and ACWX hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACWI | ACWX |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa | 1.73% | 4.69% |
| ASML Holding N.V. | 0.56% | 1.54% |
| SK hynix Inc. | 0.49% | 1.33% |
| Tencent Holdings Limited | 0.39% | 1.07% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC | 0.32% | 0.86% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC | 0.29% | 0.81% |
| Alibaba Group Holding Limited | 0.29% | 0.79% |
| Novartis AG | 0.28% | 0.77% |
| SHELL PLC | 0.27% | 0.71% |
| Nestle S.A. | 0.26% | 0.72% |
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | 0.25% | 0.69% |
| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | 0.23% | 0.62% |
| Only in ACWI | Only in ACWX |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 4.89% | CHINESE YUAN HONG KONG 0.01% |
| APPLE INC. 4.02% | Plaza S.A. 0.01% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2.90% | IOI CORPORATION BERHAD 0.01% |
| AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.58% | KRUNG THAI BANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED 0.01% |
| ALPHABET INC. 2.26% | Bumrungrad Hospital Public Company Limit 0.01% |
| BROADCOM INC. 1.90% | Jarir Marketing Company SJSC 0.01% |
| ALPHABET INC. 1.87% | KASIKORNBANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED 0.01% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. 1.34% | SCB X PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED 0.01% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| ACWI iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | ACWX iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI ACWI | MSCI ACWI ex U.S. |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | +23.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | +5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.32% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 61.4% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 2307 | 1759 |
ACWI in plain words
ACWI is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2307 positions, with the top ten at 24.6%.
ACWX in plain words
ACWX is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI ex U.S.. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +23.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1759 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or ACWX?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +19.1% and ACWX returned +23.0%, so ACWX returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or ACWX?
- ACWI charges 0.32% a year and ACWX charges 0.32%, so ACWI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWI and ACWX overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 61% of ACWI and 0% of ACWX by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 36% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ACWI against ACWX, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWI-ACWX Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources